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Question about Mal's routine

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Katis228 
#1 ·
Actually the question is more about my routine with Mal.

Her light clicks on at 8am and clicks off at 9pm, so she gets plenty of light. I generally do not get her up during the day (she does need her beauty sleep after all ;) ) What doesn't happen at the same time everyday is her footbath. This I know is my fault (I don't have a routine, but that doesn't mean she doesn't get one), and I'm working on it. She gets a footbath everyday because of the fleece that helps to cement the poop to her feet, and I can't imagine it's very comfortable.

My question then is: is it okay to give her a quick footbath a bit later in the morning/into early afternoon if I get up late? Or should I wait more towards evening when I would get her up for some cuddle time? I am leaning toward giving her that footbath as soon as I can, because I know I wouldn't like to sleep with poopy boots next to my nose (she sleeps balled up on her side).

Opinions please! :D
 
#2 ·
I think if she really is in need of the foot bath, then it should be okay to give it to her when she needs it. Maybe try rearranging your schedule to accommodate the earlier bath. And if it doesn't seem to be bothering her, she might not mind as much, but it is a good idea to fix that as soon as possible usually. Maybe you could prevent her from getting so much on her feet by using a different litter box (or whatever you use) set up. You could try giving her the foot bath everyday earlier if that works for you.

It seems to be all about routine to keep a healthy hedgie :) I'm sure that she'd be okay with it if she really needs it.
 
#3 ·
LOL, I will be on more of a routine myself after today. :lol: I have a weird work schedule.

she has a litter box that she uses (when she wants to) and I line it with paper towels. I recently bought her a CSW which makes her poop like a madman....woman...hedgie....whatever! LOL So most of her poo is on the wheel. She pees very consistently on the paper towels provided directly under the wheel or in the litter box never anywhere else. What happens is she gets poo on her feet from running and then she goes in her igloo and digs around in her fleece strips to get comfy and that is when she gets fleece mixed in with the poo. A couple minutes in a warm 1/2 inch foot bath does the trick though! :)

I think she'll get a footbath now, and from now on she will have more of a schedule. Now the question becomes do I give her a footbath right when her light comes on in the morning? or do I do it shortly before hand? (light comes on at 8a)

Thank you amylynnbales :)
 
#5 ·
There's really no need to keep a strict schedule with something like a footbath, unless she seems really agitated by not having a schedule. The light schedule is what's most important, and the only reason most people have that at the exact time every day is because using a timer makes it easier. Ours get foot baths, full baths, etc, whenever during the day they happen to need them.
 
#6 ·
I agree with Moxiberry. I don't keep a strict handling schedule but I do make sure there is a regular time Koloth can expect his dinner and a regular light schedule. If I notice that Koloth is up during the day I'll often take him out for a cuddle or an extra snack. The other night after having a long playtime I noticed that he had some poop dried on one of his legs. It was too late in the evening for a full bath an he wouldn't let me wipe his leg with a damp cloth so I just got him up the next day to clean him up. What I find helps with the poopy boots is giving them lots of time to run around out of the cage. If you can get them to do a lot of their pooping off the wheel then the poopy boots are not so bad. I'm lucky that this works with Koloth because he gets up pretty early and poops almost as soon as he gets up. I know some hedgehogs are more active later at night and do most of their pooping then.
 
#7 ·
Thank you so much moxieberry and hedgielover. I do have her on a strict light schedule (love those convenient timers you can plug the light into!) And now I don't feel so bad about sometimes being inconsistent with her footbath. :)

If you have poopy feet, you need a (foot)bath! That's my motto! :lol:
 
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